Sun, sand, sea. The triptych symbol of the Greek summer, which in the international tourist market is identified with a white chapel with a blue dome on one of the dozen islands of the Aegean or with a cosmopolitan island capital of the Ionian.
However, for Greek vacationers, the seaside destinations of the mainland are more and more often the first choice, especially those located near the big urban centers.
This year, in fact, the steeper prices of ferry tickets and, more broadly, the prolonged wave of punctuality, turn Greek tourists with even greater intensity towards destinations easily accessible by car or bus. Also boosted by the recovery of road tourism from neighboring countries, continental destinations tend to emerge as the big winners of the current summer season.
The first choice of vacationers
With the islands being unreachable for many destinations, even before the inflationary explosion of the last three years, the areas accessible by road are consistently the first choice for the majority of Greek tourists.
According to data from ELSTAT, the percentage of domestic vacationers who travel with buses and cars as their main means of transport has consistently exceeded 70% over the last eight years. Last year, in fact, this percentage reached 77%, behind only the summer of 2020 (78.1%), but in which the car qualified especially because of the measures to limit the COVID-19.
On the contrary, only 17.8% of Greek tourists traveled by ship in 2023, from 22.6% in 2022 and 21% in 2016. Furthermore, the percentage of domestic visitors who choose the plane for the their movement – it is indicative that in 2023 only 5.2% of Greek tourists traveled by air.
The research findings
This trend is confirmed by the findings of a recent survey by the Institute of the Association of Hellenic Tourism Enterprises (INSETE), which finds that between June 2022 and May 2023, in domestic travel, land vehicles dominated with 74%, with sea and air vehicles following with 16 % and 10% respectively. The same survey finds that at the top of Greek tourists’ preferences are destinations in Attica, Central Greece and Evia (21%), followed by Macedonia (19%) and the Peloponnese (14%).
Epirus and Thessaly collect 10% each, while 6% of Greek tourists choose destinations in Thrace. The percentage that chooses island destinations is in single digits: Just 5% travel to the Ionian Islands, Crete and the Cyclades, 2% to the islands of the North Aegean and the Dodecanese and 1% to the Sporades.
OR cost difference for going to island or mainland destinations it is chaotic. It is indicative that the one-way trip for a family of four by car from Piraeus to Naxos in economy class for Sunday 11 August costs at least 270 euros, while at least 175 euros are required for a trip without a cabin to Heraklion. On the other hand, the cost of a car trip from Athens to Parga is around 95 euros, for Lefkada 87 euros and for Mani 57 euros.
In light of the above, the preference of Greek tourists for the continental destinations seems to be consolidating this year. It is indicative that short-term rental accommodation in mainland Greece has registered an increase of 15%-20% compared to the corresponding period last year, as the president of the Panhellenic Association of Property Managers (PASYDA) tells “Vima” Andreas Chiou.
This trend, according to him, is related to the persistent wave of accuracy, as Airbnb-type accommodations are chosen mainly by families with children, for whom the cost of going to an island is even higher. “For a family with one or two children, going to an island destination is a huge expense. That’s why they choose short-term rental properties in mainland Greece.”
Regarding the destinations chosen by domestic visitors, Andreas Chiou points out that Peloponnese stands out this year, where the increase may even reach 30%, while Pelion is also high on their list. The messages from the coasts of Epirus and North Evia are positive, while Lefkada has its honor. “This year the road trip in the Peloponnese is in fashion” says the president of PASYDA, emphasizing that Mani and destinations such as Kardamyli, Stoupa, Gythio, Limeni and Areopoli stand out from the entire region in question.
«This year the demand for destinations accessible by car is quite high” for his part, the general secretary of the Panhellenic Hoteliers’ Federation (POX) also notes Angel Kalliasclarifying, however, that there are no official figures yet.
As he confirms, Greek visitors seem to prefer areas easily accessible from major urban centers, such as the Peloponnese, as well as islands with road access, such as Evia and Lefkada. The traffic on the coasts of Epirus is quite high, while the Argosaronic islands are also favored by the trend for holidays near the urban centers.
Competitive advantage
“The mainland appears to be gaining a competitive advantage over the islands as it allows visitors to spend more money at the destination by avoiding the cost of ferry tickets” points out the authorized advisor of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises (SETE) Alexander Thanosclarifying, however, that a valuation based on evidence will be possible after the end of the tourist season.
He also emphasizes that the strengthening of road tourism does not only concern Greeks but also tourists from neighboring countries. “Inbound road tourism looks set to fully recover and move higher into 2019” underlines.
4 million international road arrivals
According to recent data from INSETE, in the period January – June 2024, 4 million international road arrivals were recorded compared to 3.5 million in the corresponding period last year (+13.7%). Specifically, the increase in visitors from Turkey (+40.6%) is particularly spectacular, followed by Bulgaria (+16.7%) and North Macedonia (+12.2%).
On the contrary, a decrease of 3.9% is recorded in the flows from Albania. In absolute numbers, in the first half of the year more IX arrivals were recorded by Bulgaria (1.5 million arrivals) and North Macedonia (1.2 million arrivals), followed by Albania (706,000 arrivals) and Turkey (564,000 Arrivals).
«The vast majority of tourists who come to Greece by car from neighboring countries go to destinations in Northern Greece” says Alexandros Thanos, emphasizing that “road tourism is so far the big winner of this summer.”
The infrastructure and the queues at the borders are thorns
Its development road tourismmainly of the entrant, is however accompanied by problems that, if not addressed immediately, risk halting its momentum. Inadequate infrastructure and understaffed border crossings often lead to long queues, turning entry into our country into a nerve-wracking process. “In the last fifteen years there has been no improvement in the infrastructure. Not a single brick has gone in to enlarge the entrance gates, nor have we hired staff to serve the people.” says the general secretary of POX, Mr. Angelos Kallias.
Months ago, the Federation had addressed a letter to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Christos Staikouras in which, among other things, it was pointed out that “the situation that prevails at the border stations is not the one that befits our country”, after “the queues of kilometers, which are a recurring phenomenon during the summer months, and the insufficient (in most cases) building infrastructure cause an inexplicable inconvenience and a bad impression on the tourists who choose our country for their holidays”.
For Aggelos Kallias, the image at the land borders is the other side of the problems caused by overtourism in island destinations. “If someone avoids the overcrowding on the islands and chooses to enter Greece by road, he will suffer at the border” argues, noting that the country’s infrastructure has not kept up with tourism development, “even though tourism operators predicted from the beginning of the 2010s that in 2024 we will reach 30 million tourists”.
Holidays away from the sea
Alternative destinations to seek coolness
Although the majority of tourists moving to continental destinations choose seaside locations, a small but not negligible percentage end up in mountainous destinations in search of coolness. “Traffic in mountain destinations is quite satisfactory”, says the mandated adviser of SETE Alexander Thanos, adding that “although we still can’t talk in numbers, it’s clear that occupancy is high.”
The general secretary of POX, Angelos Kallias, however, clarifies that occupancy is sometimes deceiving, because the number of units that remain open in the summer in the mountainous continental destinations is small. “That’s why when we say that the mountain destinations are doing well, we’re only referring to about 40% of the hotels that remain open in the summer” he clarifies. He also emphasizes that the image is positive mainly in mountainous destinations that have the sea nearby, such as Pelion, the Drama basin, Ioannina but also Arcadia, Trikala in Corinth and Kalavrita.
For tourists who choose vacations away from the sea, the pressure exerted by climate change seems to be a decisive factor. “Especially in last-minute tourism, we see how the choices of tourists evolve in function of the climatic data” says Alexander Thanos. This means that Greek visitors deciding at the last minute which destination to go to tend to take into account more and more factors, such as the temperatures prevailing at the given time in each region and so on.
According to him, this trend will probably strengthen in the coming years, calling into question the supremacy of the triptych “sun – sand – sea”. “A mild growth is observed in the continental parts. Little by little, some global trends are emerging that in the coming years may lead to the selection of alternative destinations in the vacation package,” he notes.
The profile
How do Greeks travel and where do they live?
The vast majority of Greeks take vacations in their own, relatives’ or friends’ homes in mainland destinations and for a period of four to seven days at the most. According to the latest available data from ELSTAT, in 2023 55.5% of personal trips took place in non-rental accommodation, of which 58% in accommodation provided free of charge by relatives and friends. Trips to non-rental accommodation correspond to 72.9% of the total number of nights spent by Greek travelers.
For personal trips with accommodation in rented accommodation (44.5% of the total), the main type of accommodation chosen in 62.2% was hotels. In the same year, most personal trips were made by land transport (4.7 million trips) and secondarily by sea (1 million trips). In terms of duration, the majority (41.2%) stayed at the destination for four to seven days, while a not inconsiderable 24.2% stayed for just one to three days.
Finally, according to a recent study by INSETE on the profile of Greek tourists, domestic trips are made primarily for holidays at sea (45%) and secondarily for sightseeing (32%). The most popular activity in domestic travel is eating and drinking (64%), followed by relaxation (62%). Enjoying nature and the natural environment (36%), swimming and sunbathing (25%) are followed by a fairly large margin.
Coordination: Angelos Skordas
Written by: Giorgos Murmouris
Editor: Panagiotis Sotiris
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